YuGiOh!: Return of the Dragon Lord
by ID Zeta
Summary: What starts out as a "typical" tournament escalates into something much, much greater. As an epic adventure unfolds, the world of Yu-Gi-Oh! monsters will change forever. Will the Dragon Lord destroy our hero and his allies - or will it become a shining beacon in the growing darkness?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was a magnificent September day that marked the beginning of something extraordinary. The beginning of a spectacular journey through unknown lands full of wonder, as well as peril. It may seem like an elaborate fantasy, but it seemed more than real to me.

The date was September 20th, 2012, and a young man was driving towards Cincinnati to pick up a friend. This man is me, Ian Dillard, and I was feeling a mixture of anxiety and nervousness. In the next few days, I'd be partaking in one of the biggest events in Yu-Gi-Oh!, something I'd been anticipating for months. I had spent the last month before the qualifying matches making, analyzing, then remaking decks until I felt I had the absolute best Decks I could make. I had narrowed down my options for the event to 2 – a Ninja deck, a very uncommon Deck in terms of competitive appearance, and a Dragunity deck, one I've been running for a while. I chose to use the Dragunity deck because it was less prone to disruption. As I approached a suburb not too far from Cincinnati, my thoughts turned to my friend, a young woman named Anna Weber. She, like me, was an avid Duelist, and we had both managed to be accepted into the event. I approached her house, and found her sitting on her porch, waiting for me. Just seeing her lifted my spirits, if only for a moment. I got out of my car, and she ran to me for a hug.  
"Hey!" She called out as she embraced me. "You said you'd be here 10 minutes ago."  
I sighed and turned my head. "I didn't consider traffic and all," I admitted. Though it was mid-September, she was wearing her favorite bright blue dress. I thought it complimented her deep blue eyes nicely. She wore a dark jacket over it.  
Anna was a fantastic girl. Though she was five-foot-seven, I still seemed to loom over her. Her dark brown hair normally came down to her shoulders, though today she had it up in a ponytail. She was 2 years my junior at 19. I introduced her to the game of Yu-Gi-Oh! during my junior year in high school, and she took the game up with a passion. She seemed to like Dragon-type monsters, as well as some Water monsters. She was a quick learner, so she caught on to the game easily. That fact was one of the many things we had in common, though there were some differences. Anna's eyes were blue, whereas mine we vibrant green. I was typically somewhat shy, while Anna was very outgoing. I didn't like being in large groups, but Anna indulged herself while amongst a group of friends.  
"Sorry I missed your birthday," Anna commented on the way back to my car. "I was busy with some college work. I still got you a present." She pulled a small package out of her bag, and handed it to me.  
"I'll open it in the car, we're running a little late," I said. One thing I hated personally was being late to something, regardless of how minor it may be. We got in, and I tore the paper off the small box. I opened it, and my eyes widened. In the box was an ultimate-rare White Dragon Ninja, something I needed for my Ninja deck. I looked at Anna, and she was smiling and giggling.  
"How much did this cost you?" I asked, still in amazement.  
"Surprisingly, not as much as you'd think," she replied. "I managed to get it off a card site for a bargain price. Shouldn't we be going?"  
"Right," I said. I had almost forgot.  
As we drove to the airport, we talked about what happened since we last saw each other a few months ago. I told her about my deck-revising period, and she told me about her success with college. After a moment of silence, my thoughts turned to the event.  
"So, which deck did you bring?" I asked Anna.  
"Oh, I brought my Hieratic deck." she replied. "Figured it would be one of my best options. You?"  
"I brought my Dragunity deck. It's probably my best deck I've made." Indeed, it was. Anna's Hieratic deck was a beast itself, one of her best decks that I've seen. She liked using them, though I personally didn't. My attempt at an Hieratic deck was a miserable failure.

We arrived at the airport with 30 minutes before our flight left. My mistake with traffic earlier had seriously cost me, and I was growing increasingly anxious. After we checked out luggage and everything, we had about 10 minutes of spare time. We found our terminal, and took a seat. I was looking around for a few minutes when something, or rather someone, caught my eye. He seemed familiar, and when he turned his face to me, I recognized it. I jumped up.  
"Jon?!" I called out across the room. The man looked at me, and smiled as he approached me.  
"Well, look who it is," Jon replied. "Fancy seeing you two here. You both qualified?"  
"Yep!" Anna and I replied at the same time. I was honestly surprised to see Jon here.  
"How the Hell did you manage to qualify?" I asked him. "Did you go up against a series of Exodia decks of what?" Anna and I laughed.  
"Very funny," Jon said flatly, "but no. I actually had to work to qualify. You two probably didn't have any trouble at all, did you?" Anna told him about our qualifying matches, which were both fairly difficult. I had to face off against a Dino Rabbit deck with my Dragunity deck, and Anna had to battle the Six Samurai with her Hieratics. As we exchanged stories, the attendant announced that our flight was ready to be boarded.  
"Looks like it's time to go," Anna said, and we walked to the terminal. We took our seats, and awaited to journey ahead.  
Anna and I, as well as Jon, it seemed, were going to Las Vegas for the Yu-Gi-Oh! YCS tournaments. We were all anticipating what we were going to go up against soon, something that kept me up some nights. If we did well in the YCS, we could advance to the national championship, a feat I had always dreamed of doing. Simply being invited to the YCS in Las Vegas was a major accomplishment for me as a Duelist. I could probably assume the same was true for Anna. The flight would take about 4 hours, so I plugged my headphones into my smartphone and turned on some pleasant music.

I was awakened by several light nudges on my right shoulder. I turned to see Anna facing me. She prompted me to take my headphones off. I turned my music off, which must have put me to sleep, so I could hear her.  
"The captain says that it'll be about 10 minutes before we land," she said. I raised an eyebrow, somehow doubting that I had slept for that long. Regardless, it would be 10 minutes before we set foot in Las Vegas. I looked out the window to my left and saw the rugged terrain of the desert below the plane. My thoughts, for about the 10th time today, drifted to the matches I'd be Dueling in the next few days. I decided it was best not to get too worked up over it.

After we got out of the airport, I rented a car and took Anna to try and find the hotel we were supposed to stay it for the next few nights. After driving around for about 45 minutes doing some sight-seeing, we found the hotel and checked it. We took our bags into our room and found it to be quite grand. Seeing as this was Las Vegas, grand was a standard. Amazingly comfortable beds, great décor, and a multitude of other accessories. I unzipped my large bag and was reassured by the sight of my Duel Disk, intact and ready for the heated competition that awaited me. That reminded me of something.  
"Did you remember your Duel Disk?" I asked Anna.  
"Of course I did!" she answered in a matter-of-fact manner. "How could I not?"  
"Just making sure, that's all," I said. I took my deck out of the slot in the Disk and sifted through the cards. Each card was there, which relieved me.  
"Do you think we'll have a chance?" Anna asked a little later. She sounded depressed.  
"Well, we qualified, didn't we?" I replied. "That in itself must mean we have some chance of at least making the first cut." That didn't seem to help. She sat on the edge of one of the beds, her head down. I sighed.  
"Listen," I said gently, sitting beside her. "Just... just try not to worry to much about it right now. I'm sure we'll do great, trust me."  
"I guess I just don't want to blow this chance I have," she said. "I don't want to have come all this way, only to not even make the first cut. You know what I mean, don't you?"  
"Of course I do, this is important for the both of us. I don't want to fall flat on my face here either." That didn't seem to cheer her up any. Suddenly, and idea popped into my head. "How about a Duel? Would that cheer you up?"  
Anna glanced at me, then smiled. "I think that's a great idea," she said, her voice returning to the cheery tone I was accustomed to. She glanced around the room, then frowned. "We can't use our Duel Disks, though. There isn't enough space."  
"I know," I said. "We'll just play on that table over by the window." I retrieved my Duel Disk and took my Main Deck and Extra Deck out of it. The newest model of Duel Disk included a special slot for Extra Decks, since so many Duelists used them now. I sat down at the table, watching Anna take her deck out of her Duel Disk. I shuffled my deck carefully as she sat down in the chair opposite to me.  
"I haven't had a chance to see your deck up close and personal since we were last together," Anna said as she shuffled her deck. Indeed, we didn't have much of a chance to talk during qualifiers. "I'm anxious to see what revisions you've made."  
"I could say the same for you," I replied, setting my deck down in it's place. When Anna finished shuffling her deck moments later, I said, "You can go first if you want."  
We both drew 5 cards. "I want you to go first," Anna said. I nodded in approval and drew an extra card. I had drawn a decent hand, which pleased me, but in the back of my mind I doubted that I'd get similar hands later on.

**Ian – 8000 LP**  
**Anna – 8000 LP**

"Alright, then," I said, "I'll start off by activating Cards of Consonance. By discarding a Dragon-type Tuner, I can draw 2 cards." I discarded Dragunity Brandistock and drew a Dragunity Dux and a Mystical Space Typhoon. "Next, I'll Summon Dragunity Dux (1500/1000). When Normal Summoned, I can equip a Level 3 or lower Dragunity Tuner from my Graveyard to Dux." I put Brandistock behind Dux on the table. "Now, by banishing Dux, I can Special Summon Dragunity Arma Leyvaten (2600/1200) in Attack Position. When Normal or Special Summoned, I can equip a Dragon-type monster from my Graveyard to Leyvaten." Again, I placed Brandistock behind Leyvaten. "I'll place 2 face-downs, then end my turn."  
"Took you long enough," Anna said sarcastically. "I draw." She thought for a minute, then smiled. "Since you control a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit (2100 /1400) from my hand. Now, by Tributing Tefnuit, I can Special Summon Hieratic Dragon of Su (2200/1000) from my hand." She replaced Tefnuit with Su. "Since I Tributed Tefnuit, I can Special Summon a normal Dragon-type monster from my deck and make it's Attack and Defense Points 0." She quickly sifted through her deck, then pulled a card out and reshuffled the deck. "I'll Summon the Wattaildragon." She put the monster beside Su. "Now, I'll overlay my two Dragons to Xyz Summon Hieratic Dragon King of Atum (2400/2100). I then activate its effect by detaching an Xyz Material. I can Special Summon any Dragon-type monster from my deck and make its Attack and Defense Points 0. I'll Summon my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon." She placed it beside Atum. "Next, I activate Red-Eyes' effect to Special Summon a Dragon-type monster in my hand or Graveyard. I'll Summon Tefnuit back to the field. I'll Set 2 face-downs myself, and end my turn."  
"Draw," I said. I looked at the card, and grinned. "I activate Dragon Mastery. As long as this card is face-up, any monster equipped with a Dragunity monster gets 500 extra Attack Points. Also, I can equip a monster I control with a Dragunity Tuner from my hand. I'll also activate Dragon Ravine."  
"Not so fast, there, Ian," Anna interrupted. "I activate Solemn Judgement. By paying half of my Life Points, I can negate the activation of your Spell."  
"So be it," I said, setting the card in my Graveyard.

**Ian – 8000 LP**  
**Anna – 4000 LP**

"Next," I continued, "I'll Summon Koa'ki Meiru Drago (1900/1600)." Anna seemed surprised when I put the card beside Leyvaten. "As long as this monster is on the field, neither of us can Special Summon Light or Dark monsters. I must also either discard an Iron Core of Koa'ki Mieru or reveal a Dragon-type monster in my hand during my End Phase, otherwise it's destroyed. Now, since Dragon Mastery increases Leyvaten's Attack Points to 3100, none of your monsters are safe.  
"That's what you think," Anna said, chuckling.  
"Indeed, it is," I replied. "So, I'll first attack your Red-Eyes with my Drago."  
"I activate Mirror Force," Anna declared.  
"I'll counter with Dark Bribe," I said. "So your monster is still destroyed, and you draw a card. Next, I'll attack your Hieratic Dragon King with Leyvaten."

**Ian – 8000 LP**  
**Anna – 3300 LP**

This Duel seemed to be going a little too easily. "Since I have Brandistock equipped to Leyvaten, it can attack twice per Battle Phase. So, I'll attack Tefnuit as well."

**Ian – 8000 LP**  
**Anna – 2300 LP**

"Now that it's my End Phase, I would reveal a Dragon-type monster to keep Drago on the field... But, I don't have one." We both laughed a little as I moved the card to my Graveyard. "Your turn. Let's see if you can turn this around."  
"Oh, I will, don't you worry," Anna assured me. She drew her card. I Summon Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb (1800/400). I then Tribute it to Special Summon another Hieratic Dragon of Su. Because I Tributed Gebeb, I can Special Summon an Hieratic Normal monster from my hand, deck, or Graveyard. I'll Summon the Hieratic Seal of the Sun Overlord (0/0)." She took the card from her deck and placed it beside Su. "Next, I activate Hieratic Seal of Convocation, which allows me to add 1 Hieratic monster from my deck to my hand. I'll add my third Hieratic Dragon of Su, and Special Summon it by Tributing the Su I have on the field." She put one Su in the Graveyard and placed the other on the table. "You know what happens when I Tribute Su, right?"  
"I do," I replied. "Another Normal Dragon monster for you, and I think I know which one you'll pick."  
"I'll use the effect to Special Summon another Hieratic Seal," Anna said. I nodded, my hunch confirmed. "I then overlay my Hieratic Seals to Xyz Summon the Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis (3000/2400), and activate its effect by detaching an Xyz Material from it. I can Tribute any number of monsters from my hand or side of the field to destroy and equal number of cards on the field. I'll Tribute my Su on the field and the Hieratic Dragon of Nebthet from my hand to destroy Leyvaten and Dragon Mastery."  
"Very good move," I said as I put my cards in the Graveyard. "However, when Leyvaten is destroyed by your card effect, I can Special Summon a monster that was equipped to it when it was destroyed. So, I'll Summon Brandistock."  
"That won't help you much," Anna chuckled. "Since I Tributed 2 Hieratic monsters, I can Special Summon 2 Normal Dragon-type monsters. In this case, I'll Summon 2 Wattaildragons." She put the two cards beside the Overlord. "I'll overlay them to Xyz Summon another Hieratic Dragon King of Atum, and use its effect by detaching an Xyz Material from it."  
"You'll Summon another Red-Eyes, won't you?" I asked.  
"I will," Anna replied, taking the card from her deck, "and I'll activate it's effect to Special Summon one of my Wattails back. Now, I'll attack you directly with my Wattail and my Overlord."  
"I'll activate Compulsory Evacuation Device to return your Wattail to your hand," I said. "So much for almost evening things out."

**Ian – 5600 LP**  
**Anna – 2300 LP**

"Your go," Anna said, smiling.  
"I draw," I called out. "I activate Quill Pen of Gulldos." Anna raised one of her eyebrows in question. "I can target 2 Wind monsters in my Graveyard and one card on the field. I can shuffle to first 2 targets into my deck and return the third target to the hand. I'll first shuffle my Brandistock and Drago back into my deck. Then, I'll target your Overlord to return it to the Extra Deck." I shuffled my cards into the deck as Anna put her Dragon into her Extra Deck. "Next, I Summon Dragunity Phalanx (500/1100), then Tribute it to Special Summon Dragunity Arma Mystletainn (2100/1500). When Summoned from the hand, I can equip a Dragon-type Dragunity monster from my Graveyard to Mystletainn." I put Phalanx below Mystletainn. I then activate Phalanx's effect. While equipped to a monster, I can Special Summon it. Now, I send my Level 2 Phalanx and my Level 6 Mystletainn to the Graveyard to Synchro Summon Red Dragon Archfiend!" I placed the Dragon on the table. "Now, I'll attack your Hieratic Dragon King."

**Ian – 5600 LP**  
**Anna – 1700 LP**

"With that," I said, "I'll end my turn."  
"Looks like I'm out of options," Anna sighed as she drew her card. "I'll Summon Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb, place one face-down, and end my turn."  
"Alright, I'll draw," I said. "I Summon Dragunity Aklys (1000/1000), and then activate it's effect. When Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Dragunity monster from my hand and equip Aklys to it. I'll Special Summon another Mystletainn, and activate its effect to equip a Dragunity monster from my Graveyard to it. I'll equip Brandistock." I put the cards in their correct places. "I'll then attack Gebeb for 1200 points of damage.

**Ian – 5600 LP**  
**Anna – 500 LP**

"Finally," I continued, "I'll attack with Mystletainn for game, unless you have any counters to that."  
"I don't," Anna said, smiling. "You haven't lost your touch at all. I'm really impressed with what you've done with your deck."  
"I admire your skill myself," I commented. "Hieratics aren't my kind of monsters, but you wield them like an expert." Anna laughed at that remark.  
"Trust me, Ian, I'm no expert with this game. If I remember right, you taught me the entire game of Yu-Gi-Oh!." My mind flashed back to those days, the fond memories making me smile. I glanced out the window, and found the entire city lit up with neon lights as the sky turned dark.  
"We should get some sleep," I said. "We've got some big days ahead of us, and we should be as well rested as we can." I reshuffled my deck and put it in my Duel Disk. Anna did the same.  
The night came quicker than I expected, and I found myself asleep a lot earlier than I had expected to.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The YCS tournaments were to be held in a building specially renovated for the event – a massive, warehouse-like facility that was previously empty. The promoters for the event claimed that the YCS this year would be completely unlike any before it, and they even hinted at an appearance by the man responsible for the creation of the modern Yu-Gi-Oh! game as many know it – Seto Kaiba himself. Perhaps that was the reason why the attendance for the YCS this year was abnormally high. Whenever Kaiba was to make an appearance at any event, it usually entailed something grand or radical was to follow. To me, however, that was only a side note.

Anna and I arrived at the facility about 30 minutes early to secure our seats before the massive crowds arrived. The warehouse looked incredibly pristine, despite it being unused for almost a year. A large banner with the words "Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series 2012" hung high above the entrance, adorned with images of various monsters. The large doors were already partially open for people to come and go. Upon entering, we were greeted by a couple of men dressed in uniforms with a shiny silver KC logo on one side.

"Welcome to the 2012 YCS!" One of the men said. "Are you spectators or are you participating?"

"We're both participating," I said, glancing around the warehouse quickly. There were 4 rows of long tables, 2 on each side, divided by a raised area with 2 more rows of tables. Above the elevated area were 2 large screens, each displaying the banner I saw outside.

"Alright, then," the man said, "Just give me your names and we'll get you started." We gave him our names and he checked them against a list of people who qualified. "Looks like you 2 are in," he said after a moment. "You also submitted deck lists, correct?"

"Yes, we did," Anna replied.

"Then set over here, please," another man said. "We'll give you your special decks for the event."

"Special decks?" I asked. "We brought our decks with us."

"That may be so, but they won't be necessary," the man said, turning around and pulling out a pair of small boxes, each with our names on them. He opened them, and inside were 2 separate piles of cards, one small and one large. "You'll need these for as long as you're Dueling in the YCS."

"Why is that?" Anna asked as she took her box.

"You'll see once the introductory show begins," the man said. "Good luck to you both." I took my box and we found our seats among the large seating arrangement. We decided to sit in the second row, towards the outside of the row. I sifted through the piles of cards, and found an exact replica of my deck, card for card, albeit none of the cards were holographic. Besides that, they looked exactly the same as the real cards.

The warehouse filled up quickly, and soon the seats were crowded with people from all over the country. Eventually, a voice echoed over the loudspeakers. I looked up, and found a man standing on the elevated platform.

"If I could have everyone's attention, please," he said. He looked like an older man, perhaps in his 40's. "To start off, welcome again to the Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series 2012." The crowd roared with cheers and whistles. "I am Charles Groph, chief organizer of the Championship Series. We are very happy to see so many eager and skilled Duelists here today. I wish the best of luck to all of you, although only a handful of you will advance to participate in the National Championship. As you may have noticed, this will not be like the past Championship Series we have held. To explain to you more about what changes have been made, I'll let a very important guest speak. Ladies and gentlemen, give it up... for Seto Kaiba!" Again, the crowd roared with cheers as the head of Kaiba Corporation stepped up onto the platform. His signature white coat seemed to shine in the lights that illuminated the warehouse. The man handed the microphone to Kaiba, then stepped off the platform.

"Thank you, thank you," Kaiba said, dulling the crowd down. "As Mr. Groph already said, several changes has been made this year for the Championship Series. The first one you've seen are the decks. Each of you received a deck based off of the deck lists you submitted as part of your registration form. The cards in those decks may seem like ordinary cards, but they are far, far from it. They are specially designed to go with our next addition. Allow me to briefly demonstrate." Kaiba turned the mic off and handed it to an assistant. He reached into a pocket on the inside of his coat and pulled a card out. He turned it to the audience, which roared in acknowledgment. The screens above Kaiba displayed the card as one of his trademark Blue-Eyes White Dragons. He approached the table to his left, and placed the card on the table. A split second later, a miniature white silhouette of the dragon appeared in front of the card. The silhouette gradually became a true-color hologram of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which seemed to move and look in a completely realistic fashion.

"Holographic images!" I remarked. "Who would have thought?" The crowd cheered at this demonstration as Kaiba removed the card from the table and the hologram disappeared. He was given the mic and turned it back on.

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you Kaiba Corporation's latest innovation – the Advanced Holographic Projection System! This system will revolutionize the way Yu-Gi-Oh! is played. Kaiba Corporation hopes to include this system in the next model of Duel Disk, but for now, this will surely do. Consider this years' YCS a large-scale test of the AHPS. I hope you all Duel your best, because only the best will advance." With that, Kaiba walked off the platform and handed the mic back to Mr. Groph. Kaiba seemed to put extra emphasis on the last "best" he said. The crowd once more erupted in cheers for the head of Kaiba Corp.

"Thank you, Seto..." Mr. Groph said as he waited for the crowd to die down. "You have each been divided into 2 separate groups – Squad A and Squad B. If you look at the bottom of the box your deck came in, you will see which Squad you belong to." The crowd, including myself, seemed to simultaneously flip their boxes over and look at the bottoms. On mine, I found "Squad A" in red letters.

"Oh, we aren't on the same squad," Anna said. There seemed to be an hint of disappointment in her voice. On her box was "Squad B" in green letters.

"Above me on the screens, you will see the match-ups for Squad A, as well as your assigned table. Spectators will be allowed to watch Duels if they want. Again, I wish the best of luck to all of you. Let the 2012 Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series begin!" The crowd roared with cheers for one final time as people began to locate their assigned tables. I glanced up at the screens, and found myself staring at an immense list of names. I quickly skimmed the list to try and find my name, but didn't seem to find it.

"You're at Table 45, Ian," Anna said, as if detecting my confusion. That was one quality about Anna that mystified me – she could almost sense your emotions, even if you didn't display them.

"Thanks," I said. I found Table 45 on the list, and sure enough my name was next to it. I glanced over to see my opponent's name. The name, Calvin Florance, seemed oddly familiar, but that didn't worry me. I quickly scanned the warehouse to find Table 45, and I was somewhat surprised to find it on top of the platform. I assumed the tables were arranged in rows of 20. As I stepped up on top of the platform, I glanced at my opponent.

This Calvin Florance seemed to be well dressed, wearing a pale-green button-up shirt with a dark tie. He looked like he was in is early 20's. He was sitting at his end of the table when I approached him.

"Are you Calvin Florance?" I asked him, although I was certain it was.

"That's me," he replied, rising and shaking my hand. He had a slightly French accent, not too heavy, but noticeable. "And you must be Ian Dillard?" He accented the last syllable of my name.

"I am," I replied, nodding. "Are you ready to Duel?"

"Yes, but we must first decide who plays first," he reminded me. He took a pair of shiny red dice with white spots from a pocket on the front of his shirt and handed one to me. He cupped his die in his hands, murmured something I didn't catch, then rolled his die. It landed on a 4. "Decent," he commented. I shook my die in the palm of my hand a few times, then rolled it on the table. It landed on a 5.

"Looks like I go first," I said, retrieving the die and handing it back to him. I placed my deck in its' place on the dark green surface of the table. When Calvin placed his, a small , light green holographic screen rose from the center of the table. It was only about 4 inches tall, and it had 2 sets of Life Point counters, one for each of us. Anna stood off to my right.

"Good luck to you," Calvin said as he drew his cards.

"Same to you," I replied, drawing my cards plus the extra for my turn.

**Ian – 8000 LP**

**Calvin – 8000 LP**

"I'll start things off by activating Dragon Ravine." When the card touched the table, the surface instantly shimmered. A hologram of a long, deep canyon rose a few inches above the table. Small dragons could be seen gliding in and around it. "Next, I'll activate its' effect by discarding a card." I discarded Dragunity Aklys to send Phalanx to the Graveyard. Calvin was nodding slightly, as if in approval of his match-up. "I then Summon Dragunity Dux (1500/1000) to the field." Above the canyon hologram, a while silhouette of the winged warrior appeared. When it became full-color, I was astounded by the detail of the hologram, even though it was only about a foot-and-a-half tall.

Before I could speak again, Calvin said, "I discard Effect Veiler to negate Dux's effect for this turn." Upon putting Veiler in the Graveyard, a thin white aura descended onto Dux.

"So be it," I said. "I Set 2 cards, then end my turn. Keep in mind Dux gets a 200 Attack Point boost for every Dragunity monster on the field, including itself."

"It will only minimize the damage," Calvin said as he drew his card. He grinned while he examined his hand. "I Summon Divine Dragon Apocralyph (1000/1500)." A dragon that appeared to be made out of fire itself appeared. "I then activate Monster Reincarnation." He discarded Lightpulsar Dragon to add Veiler back to his hand. "Next, by discarding a Light and a Dark monster, I Special Summon Lightpulsar Dragon (2500/1500) from the Grave." He discarded Eclipse Wyvern and Darkflare Dragon. An image of the blue-and-white dragon materialized beside his other monster. "You know Eclipse Wyverns' effect, yes?"

"I do," I said. He selected Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from his deck and banished it.

"By banishing my Light and Dark monster in my Grave, I Special Summon Chaos Sorcerer (2300/2000)." He then added Red-Eyes to his hand.

"I activate Bottomless Trap Hole," I declared. I hole literally appeared below the sorcerer and it fell through it.

"No matter," Calvin dismissed it. "I banish Divine Dragon to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (2800/2400)." Where a fiery dragon once was, a large metallic dragon now stood, its' armor almost gleaming. "Now, Lightpulsar, attack his monster!" The dragon shot a beam of light at Dux, which disintegrated into pixels.

**Ian – 7200 LP**

**Calvin – 8000 LP**

"Next, Red-Eyes, attack him directly," Calvin continued. The other dragon glowed a faint red, then shot a miniature fireball, which faded before it touched me. I was truly impressed with this hologram system.

**Ian – 4400 LP**

**Calvin – 8000 LP**

"I'll end my turn by placing a card face-down," Calvin said, sitting back in his chair. "Your turn." I drew my card, and sorted out my options. With Veiler still in his hand, I couldn't risk going for a big play. I still formulated an idea.

"I activate Cards of Consonance," I began. I discarded Dragunity Brandistock to draw another Dux and Leyvaten. "Next, I activate the effect of my Field Spell." I discarded Dragunity Legionnaire to add Aklys to my hand. "I now Summon Dragunity Militum (1700/1200)." A hologram of the warrior appeared, his sword drawn, waiting for combat. "I follow up by activating Dragon Mastery. Do you know that card's effect?"

"I think so," Calvin said.

"Well then, I'll activate its' effect," I said. I placed Leyvaten (2600/1200) behind Militum, and Calvin seemed intrigued. "Next, I activate Militums' effect to Special Summon a monster in a Spell/Trap Zone." Calvin was first confused, but then he nodded in acknowledgment. A projection of Leyvaten appeared beside Militum, his orange body and wings almost glowing. "When Special Summoned, I can equip any Dragon-type monster from my Graveyard to Leyvaten." I slid Brandistock behind Leyvaten, and the little dragon appeared perched on Leyvaten's shoulder. "With Dragon Mastery in play, any monster with a Dragunity monster equipped to it gains 500 Attack Points, which means Leyvaten now had 3100 Attack Points."

"Very clever," Calvin said, nodding. "I honestly did not expect that."

"Now, Leyvaten, destroy his Lightpulsar Dragon!" The orange dragon flew over to the other dragon and slashed diagonally. The blue-and-white dragon disintegrated into pixels.

**Ian – 4400 LP**

**Calvin – 7400 LP**

"A monster that's equipped with Dragunity Brandistock can attack twice per Battle Phase," I continued. Calvin was still nodding to himself. "Leyvaten, destroy his other monster!" Again, Leyvaten flew over to Red-Eyes and slashed it horizontally. It, too, burst into pixels.

**Ian – 4400 LP**

**Calvin – 7100 LP**

"Now, Militum, attack Calvin directly!" The warrior ran over to my opponent, but just before he could strike, Calvin sat up.

"I activate Compulsory Evacuation Devise and target your attacking monster," he said, flipping his face-down over. I returned Militum to my hand.

"I'll end my turn there, I guess," I said. Calvin drew his card.

"I activate Solar Recharge," Calvin said. He discarded Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress (1700/200) to first draw 2 cards, then mill Pot of Duality and another Darkflare Dragon. "Next, I Summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner (1000/1000), and activate her effect." The sorceress materialized, her hands radiating light. Calvin discarded Effect Veiler to Special Summon Lyla. "I activate Lyla's effect to destroy your face-down." He switched the card into Defense Position as I sent my Royal Decree to the Graveyard. "Next, I banish Darkflare Dragon and Effect Veiler to Summon Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning (3000/2500) from my hand!" The dark-blue-armored warrior emerged in a small burst of light. "I then activate his second effect to banish a card you control." The warrior raised his sword to the sky, then pointed it at Leyvaten. The orange dragonic warrior was warped away in a flash of light.

"Now, Lumina, attack him directly," Calvin said, again sitting back in his seat. The sorceress threw a ball of light at me.

**Ian – 3400 LP**

**Calvin – 7100 LP**

"I then mill 5 cards to end my turn," Calvin concluded. He milled a pair of Rykos, a Divine Dragon, Dark Armed Dragon, and Call of the Haunted.

"Let's turn things around," I said more to myself than to Calvin as I drew my card. I was in a bit of a bad situation. "I activate Quill Pen of Gulldos," I began. Calvin raised an eyebrow. "This lets me target 2 Wind monsters in my Graveyard plus one card on the field. I shuffle the first two targets into my deck..." I shuffled Dux and Legionnaire into my deck deftly. "...and return the third to the hand. I'll return your Soldier." Calvin's calm expressions soured. "I then activate my Field Spell's effect." I discarded Terraforming to add Phalanx to my hand. "Next, I activate Cards of Consonance." I discarded Phalanx to draw Dux and another Quill Pen. "I'll Summon Dragunity Dux, and activate his effect to equip Phalanx (500/1100) to it. Then, I'll activate Phalanx's effect to Special Summon itself while equipped to a monster." The awkward little dragon appeared next to his humanoid counterpart. "Then, I'll Synchro Summon Dragunity Knight – Vajrayana (1900/1200)!" The bright orange serpent seemed to rise out of the Ravine itself. "I then activate his effect to equip a Dragunity Tuner to it when Synchro Summoned. I choose Phalanx, and activate his effect again to-"

Calvin interjected. "I believe that effect can only be used once per turn."

"It resets when Phalanx is sent to the Graveyard," I said as the little dragon appeared once more beside his large superior. "I then Synchro Summon Red Dragon Archfiend (3000/2000)!" The orange serpent was replaced by a large, blood-red dragon, arising from a burst of flames. "Now, Red Dragon, destroy his Lightsworn Summoner!" The beast threw a fireball from its hand, disintegrating the sorceress.

**Ian – 3400 LP**

**Calvin – 5100 LP**

"When Red Dragon Archfiend destroys a monster, one of its' other effects activates," I said.

"I'm aware of it," Calvin sighed. The red dragon threw another fireball at Lyla, who met the same fate as her companion.

"I'll end my turn there," I finished. Calvin could still easily claim victory, but I was determined to make him fight for it. He drew his next card. He smirked.

"I activate Future Fusion," he declared. I had anticipated this.

"I'll counter with Dark Bribe," I said, flipping the first of my face-downs. Calvin's eyes narrowed, and I could tell I had crippled whatever plan he had formulated. He drew the card off of the effect.

"Well, then," he huffed. "I Set a monster and end my turn." I was almost certain of what it was. I drew my next card.

"I activate my Dragon Ravine's effect," I began. I discarded Dragunity Arma Mystletainn to add Legionnaire to my hand. "I then Summon Dragunity Legionnaire (1200/800), and activate his effect." I placed the Aklys in my Graveyard in my Spell/Trap area. "I then banish Legionnaire to Special Summon another Dragunity Arma Leyvaten from my hand!" The orange dragon warrior reappeared, his scales shimmering. "When Special Summoned, Leyvaten's effect activates." I put Brandistock behind Leyvaten. "Plus, since I still have Dragon Mastery in play, it gets 500 extra Attack Points." Calvin's stern look never left him. "Now Leyvaten, destroy his face-down monster!" The dragon flew over to the card, and a hologram of a white dog appeared. My hunch was correct.

"You've flipped my Ryko," Calvin remarked. "When flipped face-up, I can target and destroy one card on the field. I'll get rid of your Field Spell." The large image of the Ravine faded away slowly. That move somewhat surprised me – I thought he'd destroy Leyvaten.

"Interesting move," I commented. "Regardless, since Leyvaten is equipped with Brandistock, it can attack twice per Battle Phase. Leyvaten, attack him directly!" The dragon flew over to Calvin and slashed diagonally in front of him.

**Ian – 3400 LP**

**Calvin – 2000 LP**

"I'll end my turn," I said. Calvin drew his next card, and the look of frustration left his face.

"First, I discard a Light and Dark monster to Special Summon Lightpular Dragon from the Graveyard." He discarded Tragoedia and another Lumina, and the blue-and-white dragon reappeared. "I then banish the two monsters I added to the Graveyard to Special Summon Black Luster Soldier!" The knight reemerged beside the dragon. "Now, Black Luster Soldier, banish his monster." It occurred to me that this same thing happened when I last had Leyvaten out on the field. How odd. "Now, Lightpulsar, attack him directly." The dragon shot a beam of energy at me, but I was prepared.

"You've triggered my Mirror Force," I said, flipping my other face-down. The beam hit an invisible barrier, which sent shock waves back across the field that destroyed both of Calvin's monsters. He grunted in disgust.

"I end my turn," he said, leaning back in his chair once again. I had really turned this around. I drew my next card.

"I activate Monster Reborn," I declared. "I'll use it's effect to Special Summon Dragunity Arma Mystletainn (2100/1500) from my Graveyard!" The lime-green dragon emerged triumphantly, swinging its' sword a few times. "Now, Mystletainn, attack Calvin directly!" The dragon warrior obeyed, gliding over to him and slashing vertically. Victory was claimed.

"Hmm," Calvin mused. "I didn't expect this to happen."

"Good game, Calvin. I enjoyed it," I replied as I shook his hand.

"Good job, Ian," Anna commented. I had almost forgotten she was there.

The games that followed were quite dramatic. I lost the second game because Calvin managed to use Future Fusion on his first turn, which basically doomed me then and there. I came back the third game, preventing him from Special Summoning with Koa'ki Meiru Drago early on. I had to admit, this was quite and interesting experience.

Squad B would begin Dueling in an hour, so Anna and I decided to browse the card vendors. Several had set up shop behind the Dueling area, and a considerable quantity of people were already there. I was flipping through one vendor's binder of cards when one caught my eye. An Ultra Rare Felgrand Dragon. I must not have noticed it when it first came out. I pulled the card out of its' sleeve in the binder.

"How much for this?" I asked the vendor, showing the card to him.

"That?" he asked. He thought for a second. "3 bucks, and it's yours." I payed him, and admired my new card. I didn't know how I could use it yet, but still. When Anna and I found each other again, I showed her Felgrand.

"Why'd you get that?" she asked.

"I thought it might be useful," I replied. "Did you find anything?"

"Nope," she sighed. "Most of the vendors are cleared out of anything 'useful'."

We still had 45 minutes to wait, and Anna decided that we should get some lunch. It was going on 1 o'clock.

While I was Dueling Calvin, I was unaware I was being watched by not 1, but 2 people. Kaiba was watching from the ground level, listening in on the Duel. Apparently, Calvin Florence was a rather skilled Duelist, with at least 2 titles to his name. When I defeated Calvin in the last game, Kaiba seemed impressed. He made a mental note to keep his eye on me throughout the Championship Series.


	3. Chapter 3

Anna's first match in the 2012 YCS was drawing close, but we still had a 15 minute wait. We sat down at one of the nearby tables in the warehouse. Anna was glancing around the room, seeing the last of Squad A finishing their last Duels. She tapped her fingers against the edge of the table, a habit she did when she was nervous.

"There's so many skilled Duelists here..." she breathed, the worry carrying in her voice.

"Are you saying we aren't among them?" I asked. I had rarely seen her so worked up about anything.

"N-no, not at all," she said. "But there are some people here with titles to their names. Several people here advanced to the Nationals during the last YCS."

I was intrigued. "How do you know that?" I questioned.

Anna sighed. "For a while... I was keeping track of events like this. Seeing who won what, got where, with what deck." She looked at me. "Don't ask me why, I honestly couldn't give you a reasonable explanation." I never thought Anna would want to keep tabs on tournaments like this. It seemed almost like an unfair advantage – getting an idea of who may run what deck – but then again, there were no penalties for doing your homework.

"Look," I sighed. "Don't get worried about this. When you worry, you're not focused, and you have to keep focused on the Duel." I put my hand on her shoulder. "I have confidence in you. I've seen what you can do."

Anna stared into my eyes, as if trying to literally see the faith I had in her abilities. "You really think so?" she asked.

"Absolutely," I replied. "You'll do great."

Anna's gaze dropped to the tabletop. "Thanks," she whispered. We sat in silence as people bustled about, Anna examining her deck, me considering the possibility of Dueling some rather popular people. It seemed like an eternity.

At last, the loudspeakers echoed, "Attention all Squad B members. Your match-ups are displayed on the screens above. Thank you for attending the 2012 Championship Series."

"That's our cue," I said as I rose. I searched the screen for Anna's name. She was to Duel at Table 33. She would be facing someone by the name of Dominick Monroe. I turned to inform Anna, but she seemed to already know where she was going. I followed closely behind. She quickly found her designated seat, and waited for her opponent to arrive. He approached a few minutes later.

This Dominick Monroe was dressed more casually than most of the Duelists here. He was wearing a multi-colored, flower pattern shirt with khakis. He had an even tan over his muscular build. With an appearance like that, Dominick could easily pass for a surfer or something similar. Anna looked up to see him.

"Are you Dominick?" Anna asked. If she had any self-doubt, she wasn't displaying it.

"Just call me Dom," he replied, shaking her hand generously. He had a somewhat think British accent.

"Okay then, Dom," Anna said, taking her seat. "I'm Anna, by the way, but you probably already knew that."

Dominick chuckled as he sat down. "Wasn't expecting to be facin' a girl," he said. He put both hands into his pockets, and extracted 2 things. In his right, his deck; in his left, a quarter. He placed his deck on the table while he flipped the coin. "If you can call it right, you can go first," he smiled.

"Sounds good to me," Anna said. She watched Dom flip the coin, studying its' movement. After about a dozen flips, she called out, "Tails!" Dom caught the coin in his palm, and gently slapped his hand on the table. He brought his hand up, and the head of the president stamped into the quarter gleamed in the light.

"Heads," Dominick declared, pocketing the quarter. Anna placed he deck in its' place, causing the surface of the table to shine to life. The same holographic scoreboard I had appeared across the center of the table. Both Duelists drew 5 cards.

"Good luck," Anna said, smiling.

"Good luck to you too, lass," Dom grinned, drawing his sixth card. I stood off to Anna's left, but not enough to see her hand.

**Anna – 8000 LP**

**Dominick – 8000 LP**

"Let's get this goin'," Dom said. "I'll start by activatin' Moray of Greed. I can shuffle 2 Water monsters in my hand into my deck to draw 3 cards." He shuffled a pair of cards back, then drew his 3 cards. "I'll place a face-down, then Summon Lion Alligator (1900/200)." An snaggle-toothed alligator with a wavy lion-like mane appeared. "Your go, mate." I was at a loss as to what sort of deck Dominick was running. Lion Alligator was not a commonly-seen card.

"Alright," Anna said calmly, drawing her next card. "I'll activate Hieratic Seal of Convocation."

"An Hieratic deck, 'ey?" Dom said as Anna sifted through her deck.

"You bet," Anna chimed. She took Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit from her deck and showed it to Dom. "Since you control a monster and I don't, I can Special Summon Tefnuit (2100/1400)." The dragon's shining white body made its' bronze armor gleam. "I then Tribute Tefnuit to Special Summon Nebthet (2000/1600)." Tefnuit was replaced by a smaller dragon with pink-purple scales. "You know what happens when I Tribute most of my Hieratics, don't you?"

"Sure do, lass," Dominick replied. Anna once again sifted through her deck, and took out a Curse of Dragon (2000/1500). She Special Summoned it, and the bizarre yellow beast appeared beside Nebthet.

Anna reshuffled her deck quickly. "Next, I'll overlay these two monsters to Xyz Summon Number 61: Volcasaurus (2500/1000)!" The two dragons disappeared, their white silhouettes merging to become the new monster. It materialized in a flurry of flames, its' dark-red and brown body contrasted by orange spikes. "I then activate its' effect by detaching an Xyz Material from it. When I do, I can target and destroy a face-up monster you control." She detached Curse of Dragon, and Volcasaurus launched a fireball from its' mouth, vaporizing the Lion Alligator. "Also, you take damage equal to the monster's original number of Attack Points."

**Anna – 8000 LP**

**Dominick – 6100 LP**

"Volcasaurus can't attack the same turn I use that effect, so I'll just place a face-down to end my turn." The card appeared behind the strange dinosaur.

"That's an odd monster to see in a deck like that," Dom commented. He drew his next card. "I'll activate Terraforming to add A Legendary Ocean to my hand." He pulled the Field Spell from his deck and reshuffled it. "Then, I'll activate my Field Spell." The table projected an image of an underwater city, complete with a sort of tower and other structures. "I then chain my face-down, Spell Reclamation, to its activation. Now, whenever A Legendary Ocean is sent to the Grave, it returns to my hand."

_Interesting combo, _I thought. _This is a rather unusual deck._

"Now, all of your Water monsters lose a Level both in your hand and on the field," Anna said. She seemed to share my curiosity in this deck.

"That's right," Dom said. "That means I can Summon Giga Gagagigo (2450/1500)!" A green humanoid reptile covered in shiny silver armor appeared in front of Dom. The armor was in turn adorned with spikes. "Also, all Water monsters on the field gain 200 Attack Points. Gagagigo, destroy Volcasaurus!" A neon blue aura surrounded the reptile, and sparks arched across its armor. It shot a pulse of electricity from its mouth, and Volcasaurus exploded in a shower of pixels.

**Anna – 7850 LP**

**Dominick – 6100 LP**

"I'll end there, mate. You're go."

Anna drew her next card. Giga Gagagigo was now a tough monster to get over in its' current state, but I knew Anna could pull a combo to regain control quickly. "I'll start by using Monster Reborn to Special Summon Nebthet from my Graveyard." The purple-scaled dragon reappeared in the holographic ocean. "Next, I'll Tribute Nebthet to Special Summon the Hieratic Dragon of Eset (1900/1200). The dragon was replaced by another that looked almost identical, the only difference being a new marking on its back. Anna then selected and Special Summoned another Curse of Dragon from her deck. "I then overlay these two to Xyz Summon Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon (2600/1700)!" Where two dragons once were, a dark being with a glowing red dragger and matching eyes emerged from a cloud of darkness. "I then detach and Xyz Material from Adreus to destroy your Field Spell." She detached Curse of Dragon.

"You mean return it to my hand," Dominick chuckled as he did so.

"Unlike Vulcasaurus, Adreus can attack after that effect, so I'll attack your monster!" Adreus drifted towards the armored reptile and thrust his dagger into Gagagigo's gut. It crumbled into pixels.

**Anna – 7850 LP**

**Dominick – 5950 LP**

"Your go, Dom," Anna said, smiling. Anna was doing fantastic, all she had to do was maintain field dominance to claim victory.

Dominick drew his next card. "First, I'll activate a Monster Reborn of my own to bring back my monster." Giga Gagagigo returned to the field in a shower of sparkles. "I'll reactivate A Legendary Ocean, then Summon Terrorking Salmon (2400/1000)." An oversized yellow fish appeared beside the armored reptile as the hologram of the ocean reformed. "Since both my monsters are now Level 4, I overlay 'em to Xyz Summon Bahamut Shark (2600/2100)!" The two monsters were replaced by a simply bizarre monster. It was vaguely humanoid, with large black claws and a fish-like tail. 3 sets of wing-like fins fanned out across its back. I hadn't seen this monster before.

"Now THAT is a weird monster," Anna commented. Both she and Dom laughed.

"This is my favorite monster, y'know," Dom chuckled. "Now Bahamut, destroy Adreus!" The sea serpent created a sphere of water in its mouth, then blasted the dark being with a burst of high-pressure water.

**Anna – 7650 LP**

**Dominick – 5950 LP**

"I'll end by placin' a face-down," Dom concluded.

"Hmm," Anna hummed as she drew. _That thing's going to be a little tough to get by_, she thought. She still had a face-down, and she had options. "I'll Summon Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb (1800/400), then I'll Tribute him to Special Summon Su (2200/1000) from my hand." The blue-scaled dragon seemed to fit nicely with the oceanic scenary. She also Special Summon the Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord (0/0). "I then activate Su's effect. By Tributing a monster from either my hand or my field, I can destroy your Field Spell." Anna Tributed Nebthet, and the aquatic city vanished again. She then Special Summoned another Seal.

"Next, I'll overlay my Seals to Xyz Summon the one-and-only Hieratic Sun Dragon Overlord of Heliopolis (3000/2400)!" The Seals merged, and a regal red-scaled dragon materialized on the field. "Then, I'll detach an Xyz Material and offer 1 Tribute to destroy your Shark." Su became a sphere of blue energy, which the Overlord lobbed at Bahamut. When it struck the sea serpent, it burst into pixels. Anna Special Summoned her third Curse of Dragon in Defense Position. "Lastly, I'll attack directly." The Overlord shot a beam of red energy at Dom.

**Anna – 7650 LP**

**Dominick – 2950 LP**

"Let's see if you can turn this around, Dom," Anna said with a smirk.

"Yeah, let's," Dominick replied. His facial expression didn't change dramatically during the duration of the Duel. "I'll use Magical Mallet to suffle 2 cards in my hand back into my deck," Dom said, shuffling the cards and drawing 2. "I'll Summon another Lion Alligator and end my turn." The lion-maned reptile appeared on the table. Anna seemed like she had this game won.

"Alright, then," Anna said, taking her card. She smiled behind her hand of cards. She declared, "I'll banish a Curse of Dragon and a Nebthet to Special Summon Chaos Sorcerer (2300/2000)!" The dark sorcerer appeared, wielding balls of light and dark energy. Dom's eyebrow went up. "I'll then activate it's effect to banish your Alligator." The sorcerer swirled the spheres of energy around, and threw the dark one at the reptile. A small portal opened up, and the alligator was sucked into it. "Then, unless you have any way to stop me, I'll attack directly for game."

Dom smiled. "I guess you win this game," he said. "Great game, Anna." He extended his hand.

"You too, Dom," Anna replied, shaking Dominick's hand.

"I'm surprised a Water deck managed to get this far," I said to Dom. I didn't yet know what kind of Water deck it was, but still.

"To be honest, mate," he said, turning to look at me, "So am I. I thought outside the box on this one." He shuffled his deck briskly, then turned to Anna. "Ready for Game 2?" he asked.

"You bet," Anna said, placing her deck back in its place.

This time, Anna lost. I figured out that Dominick was running an Ocean Dragon Lord deck, an uncommon build to say the least. The monster's effect was extraordinarily useful, similar to that of Chaos Emperor Dragon, without the banishing effect or the damage. Dominick managed to get the beast out early, along with the Legendary Ocean/Spell Reclamation combo. Anna had no options; all she could do was sit there and let him attack. The third duel was more even, with Anna pulling an amazing comeback after being blasted by Ocean Dragon Lord again.

"You know, Dom, you really are a good duelist," Anna said after the last duel.

"Not quite as good as you, lass," Dominick replied with a sigh. "My deck lacks the speed yours does. Mine relies on one combo, yours functions on many."

"Even so, it's really unique. I wasn't expecting it," Anna said. Not very many Water decks, save Atlanteans or Mermails, made it to the YCS often.

"If you don't mind, Anna," Dom said as he rose from his seat, "I'd like to watch you Duel some more. I like your style."

"Really?" Anna questioned, a slight blush spreading across her cheeks. "I don't mind, and I'm sure Ian doesn't either." Both she and Dom turned to me. I simply shrugged, I couldn't argue.

"So your name's Ian, eh?" Dominick said. "I forgot to ask, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I said. "It happens."

"Well," Dom sighed, "I don't have anythin' to do 'til the next round starts, if I'm goin' to watch you two, that is."

"Neither do we," Anna said. "We've already looked at the card vendors. I don't think the next round starts until later today."

"Perhaps you could tag along with us?" I suggested to Dominick. "I kind of want to do some sightseeing around the city." I hadn't been to Las Vegas in years, and I wanted to see what new additions had been made to the metropolis.

"That's fine with me," Dom said. I looked at Anna, and she nodded in approval.

"Then it's settled," I said. Dominick returned his deck to the people at the desk, and within minutes the three of us were touring Sin City. Tourism and gambling had done wonders for the city, as massive casinos and skyscrapers were everywhere. The place seemed more calm during the day than at night, when the city would shine with neon lights. We drove around the Vegas Strip for a while, seeing what there was to see. It was eventually decided that we should go back to the hotel until the second round of the YCS began. Once the three of us got back to the room, we started to talk about ourselves.

"Tell us about yourself," Anna said to Dom.

Dominick Monroe was born in Australia. His parents lived near the ocean, and his father was a fisherman. As soon as Dom was sturdy on his feet, his father took him on fishing trips. He worked with his father on his boat, hoisting the nets up, unloading the fish once they got back to shore. Dom's love of the ocean was nurtured under these conditions. One day, however, a storm caught Dominick and his father by surprise. Their boat was nearly capsized, and Dom's father was lost at sea. Soon after, Dom and his mother moved to California in hopes of new prospects. Dominick became a lifeguard at one of the beaches, and in his spare time, he often scuba-dived off the coast.

"I still love the ocean," Dom remarked. "Everythin' about it. The life, the water... It's incredible." I could see how his love for the ocean was reflected in his deck. He seemed to be quite an admirable person. We talked for a while longer before Anna interupted us.

"The next round starts in 30 minutes," she said. "We'd better get going."

"Agreed," I said. Before long, we were back at the warehouse with 10 minutes to spare. Anna and I anxiously awaited what was to come. Eventually, the curator of the YCS, Mr. Groph, arrived on the raised platform inside the warehouse. He tapped the microphone a few times to get everyone's attention.

"Well, congratulations to those of you who made the first cut," Mr. Groph began. "Half of the original number of Duelists remain in the runnings, and another half of you will be eliminated in this cut. Your match-ups are displayed on the screens above me. Again, I wish the best of luck to you all." With that, the second cut began. I scanned the screens and found my name quickly. I was at Table 12, and my opponent was a Joseph Kimmel.

"Hey, we're Dueling right next to each other," Anna said, tapping my shoulder. I looked at her, and then at the screens. Sure enough, Anna was to Duel at Table 22, which would be to the right of my Table. What a coincidence.

"Remember what you did last time," I told Anna. "Keep focused, and don't worry. You'll do fine."

"I know," she said in a matter-of-fact manner. We began to walk towards our spots. I grew more anxious with each step. Part of me felt that this Duel would be easy, the other said that this would be harder than the last. I would find out which was right.

Kaiba Corperation had a building in Las Vegas along the Strip. It was one of the biggest buildings the company owned, and for good reason. Kaiba Corperation was based in Las Vegas. On one of the floors towards the top of the massive building, Kaiba stood watching a live feed from the YCS warehouse. The multiple cameras in the warehouse provided multiple feeds, but Kaiba was only intersted in one. He clicked the device in his hand, and the feed on Tables 10-15 was enlarged. He clicked a different button, and the camera zoomed in on me.  
_This Ian has some potential,_ he thought to himself. _Let's see how he does against Joseph._ One would be correct in assuming that Kaiba Corperation had complete control of the YCS match-ups, a privilege Kaiba enjoyed exercising. He smiled to himself at the thought.


End file.
